Namibia produces a wide variety of industrial minerals, such as silica sand, iron ore and gypsum, that is mostly produced for local consumption in the construction industry.
The country is home to two major salt operations, Walvis Bay Salt Holdings and The Salt company situated in Swakop. Walvis Bay Salt Holdings is Namibia’s largest producer of salt for industrial and domestic consumption and has established major customers in Angola, South Africa and other international markets.
Another prominent industrial mineral is phosphate that is present in large quantities in some parts of Namibia’s ocean floor. However, due to the perceived environmental implications of marine phosphate mining, such operations have not yet been established.
There are also large deposits of limestone in Namibia. The two cement manufacturing companies in Namibia, Whale Rock Cement and Ohorongo Cement respectively, have large limestone quarries on site for use in their cement production processes.
